Purchasing Supervisor (25930)

The Purchasing Supervisor oversees the daily activities of the Purchasing team to ensure materials are procured in support of production schedules and customer delivery commitments. This role supervises Buyers, monitors open purchase orders, resolves material shortages, expedites critical components, and ensures purchasing activities are completed accurately and on time. The Purchasing Supervisor works closely with Planning, Program Management, Production, Engineering, and Quality to address supply issues and maintain material availability in a fast-paced contract manufacturing environment.

Purchasing Operations

• Supervise the day-to-day activities of the Purchasing team.
• Assign buyer workloads and monitor daily purchasing priorities.
• Review and approve purchase requisitions and purchase orders within established authority levels.
• Ensure purchase orders are placed accurately and within required lead times.
• Monitor MRP recommendations and ensure buyers are processing action messages timely.
• Review open purchase order reports and ensure overdue orders are actively managed.
• Coordinate daily expediting activities for critical materials.
• Assist buyers in resolving supplier delivery issues and material shortages.
• Monitor customer demand changes and adjust purchasing priorities accordingly.
• Ensure supplier acknowledgments are received and accurately entered into the ERP system.
• Verify purchasing records and ERP data are accurate and current.

Material Availability

• Monitor shortages that could impact production schedules.
• Participate in daily production or shortage meetings.
• Work with Planning to prioritize material purchases based on production requirements.
• Coordinate with Program Management regarding customer priorities and schedule changes.
• Escalate significant material risks to the Supply Chain Manager.
• Assist in identifying alternate sources when approved suppliers cannot meet requirements.

Supplier Support

• Serve as the primary escalation point for supplier delivery issues.
• Work with suppliers to improve delivery performance and resolve late shipments.
• Coordinate supplier expedites when necessary.
• Track supplier performance and communicate recurring issues to management.
• Support supplier corrective actions as required.

Inventory Control

• Monitor excess and obsolete inventory reports.
• Assist in reducing excess inventory through order adjustments and supplier returns where applicable.
• Review purchasing practices to minimize inventory while maintaining production support.
• Support cycle count investigations involving purchased materials.

Team Leadership

• Train and coach Buyers on purchasing procedures, ERP processes, and company policies.
• Monitor buyer productivity and workload.
• Conduct performance evaluations and provide ongoing coaching.
• Assist with hiring, onboarding, and training new employees.
• Promote teamwork and continuous improvement within the Purchasing department.

Cross-Functional Support

• Coordinate with Engineering on Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) affecting purchased materials.
• Support new product introductions by ensuring purchased components are available.
• Work closely with Receiving to resolve discrepancies involving purchased materials.
• Coordinate with Quality regarding supplier quality concerns affecting deliveries.
• Participate in production planning meetings as needed.

Continuous Improvement

• Recommend improvements to purchasing procedures and workflows.
• Identify opportunities to reduce administrative delays and improve purchasing efficiency.
• Assist with developing departmental work instructions and standard operating procedures.
• Maintain purchasing metrics and prepare reports for management.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Supervise Buyers and Purchasing personnel.
• Assign daily work and monitor departmental performance.
• Provide coaching, training, and performance feedback.
• Participate in hiring, disciplinary actions, and performance evaluations.